Foot soreness between third and fourth toes

neuroma?

Are you're shoes too narrow? I had pain in this area caused by too narrow shoes which aggravated the nerves. Try running barefoot on a grass field and see if you still experience the pain.

I thought I had a neuroma once, and after researching everything I could find, the first and easiest thing to try was to put a pad between the toes, so that it spreads them out. I think they sell these but I didn't feel like spending money on something like that so I would just roll a paper towel into a small cylinder before every run and stick it between my toes. I think I may have also done with during the day when I was not running.

Anyway, after a few days the pain started to subside and eventually went away completely and I haven't need to use the paper towels except for that first week or so. Not sure if that was a neuroma or just some mystery pain, but the spreading of the toes helped.

RunForever wrote:

Are you're shoes too narrow? I had pain in this area caused by too narrow shoes which aggravated the nerves. Try running barefoot on a grass field and see if you still experience the pain.

That's a good question. The Zoom Streaks are notably narrower than other shoes I run in. You and "listener" seem to be on the same thing, maybe I'm pinching a nerve squishing my toes in like that. I'm going to try the pad between toes (and maybe running more in my wider shoes) and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestions.

Get screened for a 3rd or 4th metatarsal stress fracture or stress reaction. Hate to drop that bomb, but you did compete in a marathon and it's a possibility it developed during the race. Depending on the nature of the fracture, you may feel as if the pain is between the toes. [quote]CakeEater wrote:

listener wrote:

I thought I had a neuroma once, and after researching everything I could find, the first and easiest thing to try was to put a pad between the toes, so that it spreads them out. I think they sell these but I didn't feel like spending money on something like that so I would just roll a paper towel into a small cylinder before every run and stick it between my toes. I think I may have also done with during the day when I was not running.

Anyway, after a few days the pain started to subside and eventually went away completely and I haven't need to use the paper towels except for that first week or so. Not sure if that was a neuroma or just some mystery pain, but the spreading of the toes helped.

+1 on this. I have had a neuroma in the past and still have pain in that area. I'm not sure they ever really go away but maybe. I do know that spacing out my toes does alleviate the pain. I went to the drugstore in the foot section and bought a pair of gel toe spreaders that are made just for this. They were under $10 I believe. Makes a BIG difference in how my feet feel. Try the home remedy suggested above and if works maybe invest in the gel type.

Ugh, I hope not. But I guess better to be sure than keep running on it blindly. Thanks again for all the ideas.

Waste of time to get it "checked out". Just take a couple weeks off and see if it goes away. If not, take a couple more weeks off. It is really just an overuse injury from the marathon and will eventually go away.

CakeEater wrote:

I've isolated the pain to the top side of my foot between my third and fourth toes

This is the classic spot to get a nueroma (Morton's nueroma). Try and use a pad to support the area, ice and if it gets worse take time off. Be careful, as this can progress to something more serious that may require surgery to fix.

You just ran a marathon. It is a stress reaction. Give it some time, a few weeks of over the counter medications. If it persists after 6 weeks then spend some money and get x-rays/scans. Listen to your body. I doubt neuroma.

Does anybody know if a neuroma is something that occurs suddenly and without warning?

I was running barefoot one day (something I've been doing for the past month because it helped with my plantar fasciitus) when all of a sudden with only a couple minutes left in my run, my foot began hurting. Much like described above. It's been a week and it seems to get worse and I haven't ran a step. Also how painful is a neuroma? I don't think I could run even if I wanted to push through it. One minute I was running fine and the next I can't run a step. I point out the barefoot running because it doesn't fit the narrow toe box cause that I see mentioned most.

Any advice?

I'm having the same problem,how did you solve it,what do i do???

There is connective tissue between your metatarsals, which might have sustained some damage. Think of it as your foot splitting apart a little bit and getting a little wider.

It's been present for about three weeks,i've rested,put ice on it,it is a little better but the top of my foot still hurts (the bottom hurt for the first 2 weeks).